Bill would allow appointment of more immigration judges

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) has introduced a bill that would allow for the appointment of 70 new immigration judges to keep up with the influx of child immigrants.

The judges could be appointed immediately to the Executive Office of Immigration Review, which is housed within the Department of Justice. The office oversees immigration court proceedings and administrative hearings.

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Jackson Lee said her bill would help ease the load of immigration cases before the office.

"Regardless of root causes of the current situation with unaccompanied children coming across our borders, there is a humanitarian crisis occurring along the Southern border and addressing it with real solutions must be our first priority," Jackson Lee said.

In May, the House adopted an amendment to the fiscal 2015 Commerce-Justice-science appropriations bill that would increase funding for the Executive Office of Immigration Review by $1 million.